A different kind of harvest: hydrangeas

So much of my garden writing has been about edibles this year. Due to the economy, eating local movement, and our increased focus in the past several years in growing more of our own food, we've removed more grass and planted more tomato plants. But when we first built our garden, I was focused on ornamental gardening, and we still grow tons and tons of ornamentals. And hydrangeas are one reason.

I could wax poetic on my love of the old flopsy mopsies. They're classic beauties, and this time of year the flowers on our Nikko Blue turn these wonderful antique colors. Once bright blue in July, they've faded to this gorgeous green, antiqued with purple, and before they dry up to a crisp brown with the onset of winter, this year I harvested them.

And what better to do with the harvest than to can them?




I couldn't help it. The jars fit the bill perfectly. The thing about drying hydrangeas is that they'll just dry right there in place like that. Their color will fade a little, and I won't keep them longer than a few months, but until then, our dining room is filled with the harvest of hydrangeas, and the irony of a mantel decorated with canning jars.